Conveyer system for presses



M y 9 r H. D. .CAVlN 159,779

CQNVEYEB SYSTEM FOR PRESSES Filed Nov. 24,1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HmaoLu YD. Cnvm y 1 H. D. CAVIN 2,159,779

CONVEYER SYSTEM FOR PRESSES Filed Nov. 24, 19:57 2 Sheets-sheaf. 2

INVENTOR HHBOLIJ D. OHVIN ATTORNEY ?atent ed May 23, 1939 PATENT OFFICE comma SYSTEM FOR masses Harold D. Cayin, Beilina'ham, Wash. Application November 24. 1937,- senpi No. 176,305

5Ciaims.

This invention relates generally to apparatus for compressing material between opposed press platens and more particularly to improved conveyer-means for facilitating movement of the material into and out of the press.

In various fields, of which the paper pulp industry may be taken as illustrative, it is customary to employ a hydraulic press for compressing a bale of pulp between upper and lower press platens preparatory to wrapping the bale for shipment. The bale is usually moved to one side of the press by a, suitable conveyer and is then placed between the press platens to be compressed and thereafter moved away from the press on a suitable conveyer located at the other side of the press.

When thebale is supplied to the press, it would normally be necessary for the operator to pull the bale off of the supply conveyer and directly on to the stationary surface of the press platen but it requires considerable effort to slide the bale over the platen surface and hence various arrangements have heretofore been proposed and used for lessening the effort to move the bale on to the platen. Certain of the prior arrangements include a polished stainless steel plate with which the bales are slid on to and off of the press platen, or include spring mounted conveyer rolls depress ing into grooves in the platen, or the use of trucks, These prior arrangements, however, have had very serious disadvantages such for instance as the polished plates requiring appreciable physical effort to pull the bales in and out of the press, a or the spring mounted conveyer rolls becomev bent due to particles getting beneath them during pressing, thus causingconsiderable trouble and hard work in'moving the bales, while the cles interfering with the operation or damaging the structural'elements. V

. Broadly'my invention contemplates the provision of a substantially flat bale conveying surface movable transversely of a press platen in spaced relation thereto together with means whereby relative vertical movement may be effected between said conveying surface and press platen to allow material on the conveying surface to be supported 1 bythe platen during a pressing. operation.

In one specific aspect of my invention I provide an endless steel belt rotatably supported on a spring mounted frame, the top strand of the belt runninglover. the press platen in spaced relation thereto and the returnstrand running through slots or passages inthe under side of the platen.

When the press is open the .spring mounted depresses to permit uniform contact of the bale with the lower platen. When the pressing operation is completed and the press opened, the springs raise the frame and belt so as to suspend the bale slightly above the platen to enable the operators to easily pull the bale through the press.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is adiagrammatic side elevation of a hydraulic press embodying my improved invention and showing its relation to roller conveyers leading to and from thepress;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of my conveyer showing its relation to the lower press platen taken substantially onthe line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; a

Fig. 4 is a transverse section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3. v

In the particular embodiment of the-invention, such as is specifically disclosed herein merely for the purpose of illustrating one specific form among possible others that the invention might take in practice, I have shown a hydraulic press although it will of course be understood that the invention is applicable to other types of presses and is useful in connectionwith products other than paper pulp bales. The press comprises a usual lower stationary base I and an upper crosshead 2 connected together by joining columns 3 specifically shown as four in number in Fig. 2. A usual hydraulic ram 4 operates in a cylinder 5 which is supported upon crosshead 2.

A motor driven pumping unit diagrammaticallyindicated at 6 supplies operating fluid not only to the main cylinder 5 but also to any usual pullback ram and cylinders not shown. A verticallymovable upper platen I is carried by main ram 1 while a lower stationary platen 8 is supported upon base I. A bale of material 9 is normally placed between the upper and lower platens I and ii to be pressed thereby. The bale 9 is normally moved to the press over any suitable conveyer means diagrammatically indicated at Ill and is carried away from the press on asimilar conveyer I l. i

To facilitate movement of bale 9 from conveyer III to platen 8, a spring mounted frame generally indicated at I2 is supported upon base I. This making the frame structure.

ported upon a series of springs 20 specifically frame comprises a pair of transverselyspaced channel irons l3 and I4, cross connected by channels l5 and i6, Fig. 3, and reinforced by gussets l'l secured to the top surface of the .side and cross channels although other suitable forms and types of construction may be employed in The frame .is supshown as four in number and are suitably guided by rods 2| threaded or otherwise suitably secured to base I and extending upwardly through the springs 20 and through suitable openings in ;between the roller 22 and rod 23. This roll has a fixed position at all times with respect to the frame while a second roller 24 is similarly journalled upon across rod 25 which can be horizontally adjusted by threaded rods 26. These threaded rods are secured to blocks 21 slidably supported in the channels of frame members l3- and I4 while' nuts 28 engaging suitable end plates on channels l3 and i4 permit any desired degree of longitudinal adjustment of roller 24. An endles conveyer belt 29, preferably of rela-'- tively thin sheet steel, is supported upon rollers -22 and 24. The belt is preferably made in two spaced strips 30 and 3| asv shown in Fig. 2 with the upper strands thereof overlying platen 8 while the lower return strands 32 pass through suitable openings 33 and 34 in the under side of platen 8. The springs 29 normally hold frame 12 in a raised position so that the upper strands of conveyer belt 29 are raised away from the top surfaceof platen 8 as shown in Fig. 3. 4

As a result of the foregoing-construction and arrangement of parts, a bale 9 may be moved from roller conveyer III on to conveyer belt 29 and easily moved by theoperators into position over platen'9, the steel belt fully supporting and moving with the bale 9 in spaced relation to platen 8 with the result that practically no frictional resistance or restrictions must be overcome in moving the bale into position. Upper platen I can now move downwardly whereupon the bale depresses belt conveyer 29 into contact with platen B', theframe l2 readily yieldingunder the ,action of springs 20. After the bale is comdischarge conveyer I l.

belt 29 upwardly in spaced relation to platen 8 so that the bale may be-readily pulled on to the From theforegoing description it is seen that I have provided a conveyersystem that is extremely simpleand economical in construction, operation and maintenance and one that is free from interference by foreign particles. particles that might fall on to the platen 8 be neath the conveyer belt will in the normal opera.- tion thereof be moved off of the platen. It is also seen that the use of multiple conveyer strips permits maximum uniformity in the operation of the conveyer and in maintaining the proper tautness of the belt strips as well as permitting.

the strips to be individually replaced in the event of repair. The strips may be readilyremoved Any' or inserted in position merely by releasing the adjusting bolts 26 and raising platen 8 from base i to permit conveyer belts to be laterally removed or inserted if the belt strips are of the preferable one piece endless type. The conveyer beltis sufficiently thin as to not interfere with proper and uniform compression of the bale.

It will of course be understood that various changes in details of construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

" 1. In combination, an apparatus having a platen, a frame, an endless conveyer belt supported by said frame and arranged so that the upper and lower belt strands are disposed above and below said platen, and means for yieldingly supporting said frame and conveyer belt so that the upper strand of said belt is normally'spaced from 4 said platen to allow material on the belt to be readily moved transversely of said platen or to be moved downwardly on to the same.

2. In combination, a press having opposed upper and lower stationary and movable platens, conveyer means movable transversely over the top of said lower platen in spaced relation thereto, means for supporting said conveyer means in fixed relation to the press so that the conveyer means maintains-a normally permanent operative relation thereto at all times, and means for yieldingly allowing said conveyer means to move downwardly so that material placed on the conveyer can be compressed between said platens.

3. In combination, an apparatus having a platen provided beneath its top with a horizontal passage, an endless conveyer belt having one strand overlying said platen and a return strand passing beneath the same through said passage therein, and means for yieldingly supporting said conveyer belt so that the upper strand of said belt is normally spaced from said platen to allow material on the belt to be readily moved transversely of said platen or to be moved downwardly on .to the same. J

normally spaced relation to said platen to allow material supported ,on the belt to be readily moved transversely of the platen, and yildable' means allowing said belt to move downwardly when material thereon is pressed between said platens.

5. In combination, a press having opposed upper and lower platens between which material is to be compressed, a pair of rollers one di p at each end of said lower platen, means for sup-- porting said rollers, an endless conveyer belt supported on said rollers normally in spaced reanions n. cav ar. 

